Friday, March 23, 2007

Global Warming is History!

I love the EPA. Somebody there has some real spunk! I was reviewing a three year old handout for one of my classes on Global warming, and it contained a link to http://yosemite.epa.gov/oar/globalwarming.nsf/content/climate.htmlI tried the link expecting it to no longer function. But work it did, and it took me directly to a page that I had used frequently as a reference on Global Warming. The page was unchanged except for a fascinating little box at the top of the page that said:

Please see EPA's Climate Change site for current information on climate change and global warming. EPA no longer updates EPA's Global Warming Site, but is maintaining this archive for historical purposes. Thank you for visiting the archive of EPA's Global Warming Site.

How's that for sticking it to the man?! I love it.

Actually the EPA's Climate Change site is not too bad, although even it has not been updated with the 2007 IPCC data yet (a box suggests that it will be later in 2007). What I do find disturbing is all the "exit disclaimers" after every think to another, scientific site. The "exit disclaimer" includes the following text:

"However, EPA cannot attest to the accuracy of information provided by this link or any other linked site. Providing links to a non-EPA Web site does not constitute an endorsement by EPA or any of its employees of the sponsors of the site or the information or products presented on the site."

I've spent a lot of time looking at government websites and never once in the past 15 years have I ever seen exit disclaimers attached to every link to an outside agency (especially to agencies with such solid credentials as the IPCC). Looks like the folks at EPA are doing their very best to cover their asses and still give us citizens access to the best research and thinking out there on global warming. What a shame they have to waste so much of their energy on the "ass covering"!